Friday, 15 March 2013

Learning spaces and student experience

Librarians, university and college estates professionals,
academic staff and architects gathered at the National Assembly Senedd Building
on Monday 11 March in order to discuss creating effective learning spaces. The
discussion was varied, interesting and thought-provoking and benefited from
the multi-professional delegate and speaker list. Flexibility, adaptability,
agility, “factoring in” the basics (lighting, temperature, colour, sound etc),
as well incorporating spaces for social and informal learning were key themes.

The University of Newport LearningSpaces
Pedagogic Research Group hosted this one-day conference drawing a wide
range of colleagues mainly from architectural practice, the university and college sector. The university is actively investigating learning space design and utilization included work undertaken by Martin Edwards on the Newport Campus
Learning Centre previously reported by CILIP
in Wales . SIP Funding is
helping to extend the work being undertaken in Newport.

Richard
Mazuch (IBI Nightingale) took us back to basics with sense sensitive design. The basics of light levels, colour, vistas,
sound, touch, temperature and atmosphere - all have proven impacts on learning through
physiological, psychological, emotional and physical means. Using research based on school and health
care settings (but with much wider relevance) we know, for instance:

·that good levels of natural lighting in school
classrooms can increase productivity by 18-20%

·dimming lighting in intensive care wards results
in staff moving around more quietly and noise levels being reduced
significantly to the benefit of patient outcomes

Richard demonstrated that it is possible to design these
factors into new builds and many refurbishments. However, there are simple
things that can be done to effectively and cheaply enhance the learning
environment.

Poor natural light levels? Invest in natural
light bulbs which are now widely available and relatively inexpensive.

Introduce appropriate colour, either through
paint, or through colour projecting devices. The latter could be used to subtly
change the environment throughout the day. Investigate colour psychology to
find out more!

Olfactory planning - often forgotten! We can
improve the smell profile of our spaces. Citrus oils will enliven the
environment and increase productivity.

Sound – extensively used in retail, but not often
considered in libraries. Should we be benefitting from the Mozart effect? Do we
reap benefits from adjacent bird song or the gentle noise of the wind in trees?

Throughout Richard’s presentation we were entertained with
phrases such as “articulate the environment” and “choreograph temperature and
colour”. These are great reminders that we can add much to our learning spaces
through pro-actively controlling and
managing the sensory aspects of our environments. In doing so we will
reap significant rewards and benefits.

From my time as an FE and HE librarian from the 1990s, I am fully familiar with the mantras of flexible design, zoning and purpose-relevant design for creating effective learning spaces. These seem to be as relevant today as they were then.

In case studies from Bournemouth (Glenn Turner, IBI
Nightingale), Birmingham (Toni Kelly) and Newport Universities (Martin Edwards
, Stephen Godber and Molly Owens) we received wisdom hard-earned from
practical experience. From my time as an FE and HE librarian from the 1990s, I
am fully familiar with the mantras of flexible design, zoning and
purpose-relevant design for creating effective learning spaces. These seem to
be as relevant today as they were then.

Equip spaces with movable furniture
for flexibility and agility; provide spaces
for group working, silent study, and working with technology. However, where
this has moved on is
through the increasing preference of a “cafe culture” for learning, and the technological freedoms enabled through WiFi. Students now appear to prefer to
work in coffee shop type environments - areas providing a variety of seating and
table types, lighting levels, sound and activity levels. With WiFi and highly portable
devices we see a “Martini Culture” – anytime, anyplace,
anywhere. Our spaces should accommodate
these changes in preference, but also continue to provide a variety of learning environments. Learners
are not all the same. Indeed, at different times the same learner may wish
to use the spectrum of available learning spaces.

With WiFi and highly portable devices we see a “Martini Culture” – anytime, anyplace, anywhere. Our spaces should accommodate these changes in preference, but also continue to provide a variety of learning environments.

Bournemouth discovered that there is no single model for
social learning space. What works well for undergraduates may be less
appropriate for postgraduates. Similarly, what works in one space might not work in
another. If the coffee shop model
doesn’t work, might the business lounge
model be more appropriate? Do we
forget to adequately design the small social learning spaces, like those found
in lobby areas for lecture theatres, corridors or otherwise under-utilized
shared spaces? Does uncertainty and poor client-briefing to architects lead
to expensive over-design of spaces? For instance will large spaces ever need to
be split with expensive movable partition walls. Will staffing and time
ever be available to reconfigure such partitioned spaces?

At Birmingham it was felt that students embraced independent and active learning, and that faculty were changing their
programmes to reflect and boost these changes. However, learning spaces need to
change too! Toni discussed
establishing pilot active learning classrooms, usually focusing on spaces that had been
historically under-utilised, or were clearly no longer fit for purpose. A
lecture theatre once refurbished could still accommodate high numbers of
students, and could be used in a traditional lecture scenario. However, by
incorporating some swivel seating the theatre style could readily be used to
encourage group discussion, and thus a more active classroom. We were also reminded
to delve a little more deeply into the reality of room utilization statistics, and to
supplement these with anecdotal or qualitative evidence. A 25-seat room might
not be used because it is the wrong size, or set up in an inappropriate way. It
might be under-used because it is too cold, has no natural lighting, poor ventilation, or
is in a disfavoured area of campus.

Newport City Centre Campus.

The Newport City Centre Campus has provided a shiny new build,
a beacon of a building, but has also placed the Learning Centre in a vast
Atrium Space. Martin’s research engaged with students and identified areas for
improvement including improved silent and group study spaces, IT provision and
environmental factors. Do we really understand how patrons use our spaces and
what their expectations of them are? Martin will extend this study by drawing
on learning from public space design to see if further improvements can be
made. Stephen provided a fascinating
perspective as an Estates Manager, balancing extensive backlogs in estate
refurbishment, but also demonstrating very real awareness of student and
faculty needs.

The perspective of an creative studies academic was provided
by Molly, illustrating with striking examples of how uninspiring classroom
spaces can disable creativity and productivity. By introducing a learning space
with flexible furniture, predominantly
based around group seating and with the injection of colour, Molly has created
a space that students and staff like to be in. Such configuration isn’t always
appropriate and so Molly has embraced the
“outside classroom” – booking alternative facilities, organising talks from external experts, outside visits, and by using social media. In combination these changes to the
learning environment have reaped
significant benefits for Molly and her students.

Dr Bela Arora, host for the day, provided a succinct and
comprehensive summary. Bela closed by urging delegates to return to their
institutions and initiate conversations hopefully leading to the creation of
better learning spaces and therefore improved student experience. To do this
organisations should encourage and respond to joined up, richer conversations,
effectively utilizing and responding to different professional perspectives of
policy, pedagogic practice / evidenced based practice, estates and design
professionals.

This was an excellent, thought-provoking day. It was
reassuring in that even small, relatively inexpensive changes, can make significant differences. All delegates, I
felt, could take away inspiration and quickly
implement them back in their settings.
The day benefited from the mix of librarians, academics, architects and estates
managers, and it was reassuring to note the huge sense of common purpose and
shared experience within the room. By factoring in sense sensitive design,
acknowledging changing learning styles favouring collaborative and social
learning, providing spaces that foster creativity and contentment, and in taking into
account technological developments, we can design, build or re-engineer spaces
that will not only work for learners, but will benefit our staff, and serve as
a draw for future students.

Ironically, the event itself suffered from a poor learning
environment. But this goes to prove that learning does occur despite the
environment! Delegates were crammed into the Senedd’s Media Suite, confronted
by a flickering TV monitor, seated on unforgiving hard furniture, in a room
that was constantly too cold. But our enthusiasm and attention were not defeated
or dampened.

With sincere thanks to the speakers, Bela and her colleagues
for an excellent event.

Since this event Dr Bela Arora has established the
Innovative Learning Spaces group on LinkedIn. You may also care to follow Bela on Twitter @Bela_aror

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About CILIP Cymru Wales

The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) Wales came into being on 1 April 2002, and is a Branch of CILIP. CILIP Cymru / Wales asserts that high quality library and information provision is a fundamental requirement for an informed, democratic, and bilingual society in Wales and through its members it seeks to make such provision available to all. CILIP Cymru Wales works for the benefit of our members, the wider library and information community, and for the benefit of society.
Please contact us at wales@cilip.org.uk